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Jul 2, 2024

Rock 'n' Roll San Antonio Marathon and 1/2 Marathon Runner Comments

Back to Rock 'n' Roll San Antonio Marathon and 1/2 Marathon Information & Reviews

Course 3.6

Organization 3.3

Spectators 3.9

Number of comments: 203 [displaying comments 91 to 101]

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M. D. from San Antonio, Texas (11/15/2009) "OK But Not Great" (about: 2009) 6-10 previous marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I ran the 2009 for the first time as I moved back to Texas in April. This was an OK race, but not one that I think I would do again. I just like to run different races, and there was nothing about this one that gave me an "I'd come back" feeling, like I got at Richmond, Green Bay and Memphis. The course was OK - nothing spectacular. All of the locals talked about running through the Missions. It was OK but not scenic. They did a great job in traffic control, and most roads were shutdown so there was no dodging of impatient drivers. The one thing that stood out about this race was the course support. Lots of water stops with water and Cytomax, gels, and medical tents. Additionally there were a lot of fans that actually had different types of foods available pretzels, trail mix, etc. Of the other six marathons I have run, this was clearly the best in this regard. I don't get into crowd support too much, but this had good crowd support (but not like Marine Corps). The post-race feed was remarkably average. Nothing to write home about. No race can come close to Memphis for post-race feeds. None. I don't know about the logistics, as I bought the gold pass (and parked at the finish area, and was bussed to the start), so that went really well for me. It ought to, for 45 bucks! On my way down, there was a lot of cars backed up to get to some of satellite areas to be bussed to the start. I can imagine that there were a lot of late-comers to the start. The expo was OK - nothing really different from other expos. All in all, living in San Antonio, I will look for other possibilities. But if you are not from San Antonio, this would be pretty good. There's a lot to do in San Antonio and the Riverwalk is pretty nice.
M. S. from Denver, CO (11/6/2009) "Mixed Review" (about: 2008) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Rock 'n' Roll San Antonio Marathon and 1/2 Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 5 I would agree with those who posted before me. The organization was a mess. Our group almost missed the start, which was a difficult start to the day, due to the busing issues. We had to wait in line for awhile to even enter the expo. It was not well planned, which is not what I expect from a Rn'R Marathon. I hope these issues get ironed out for this year. I loved the course. It was beautiful and the weather was great. Course support and aid stations were very good. BE CAREFUL OF THE REFLECTORS in the median of the roads. They sometimes shift out of the mid-line of the road, and it caused me to fall.
W. S. from College Station, TX (10/28/2009) "It's all about the merchandising" (about: 2008) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Rock 'n' Roll San Antonio Marathon and 1/2 Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 4 I had run the last San Antonio Marathon in 2007 and was excited about the new Rock and Roll Marathon in 2008. While at the expo, I signed up to run again this year. I won't sign up again. Unlike most other major races, this one does not allow third parties to pick up race packets. You must pick up your own packet and then exit past the vendors. I like going to the expo. I resent being forced to go. I stayed downtown before the race about two miles from the start. If I had known I would wait for 90 minutes for the bus, which would then drop me off one mile from the start, I would have walked. This year I will walk. The last 100 or so meters are up a short, steep hill. The finish is chaotic. I abandoned my gear bag rather than wait for UPS to check each bag one by one for each of the 50 people in line ahead of me. An earlier post referred to any excitement associated with this race as being staged. Yes, it has a commercial feel to it that is somewhat off-putting. I'll opt for something different next year.
R. J. from Atlanta, Ga (8/27/2009) "Very good marathon" (about: 2008) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Rock 'n' Roll San Antonio Marathon and 1/2 Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I ran this marathon last year, in its first year, and had a good time with it. Now, I could have done without the hill at the last a quarter-mile or so at 26.1 mile. Wow, I didn't see that coming. Lol. But hey, it's a marathon. By the way, stay away from the Day's Inn that's located right by the expo. They bait-and-switched me with the rates.
K. L. from San Antonio, TX (7/17/2009) "An organizational debacle" (about: 2008) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Rock 'n' Roll San Antonio Marathon and 1/2 Marathon COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 2 As a first time Rock & Roller, and local resident, I really wanted the inaugural race to succeed. It's tough to read the harsh reviews, but there is no denying the fact this race disappointed a lot of people. The organizers clearly couldn't handle 30,000 runners. No one knew the crowded expo was a harbinger of things to come. They won't have that problem again since I doubt this race will ever get that many entries. I've run mega-marathons before, so I knew to get to the shuttles early. I was in line and on a bus right after shuttle service started. Too many runners showed up in the last hour to board, and they encountered all of the cars that were giving rides to the start line. What a traffic jam! I really don't know how the organization broke down at the finish line, but it was a mess. The race itself is fine. The course is good (considering it has to accommodate 30,000 runners), and it's well supported. There weren't many spectators at the far end of the course. I have mixed impressions of the Rock & Roll Marathon experience. The whole event had a staged feeling. Amid all of the problems, the atmosphere felt contrived - artificial hype rather than genuine excitement. Yet the potential for this to be a fun race is there. I am confident 2009 will be an improvement.
I. R. from Mexico (7/5/2009) "Excellent first half; difficult second" (about: 2008) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Rock 'n' Roll San Antonio Marathon and 1/2 Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Getting to the start, you have to walk at least 1 mile, and it was very cold! So be prepared. The beginning was well organized in blocks, so you can run from the beginning! I loved the first half, but the second was difficult, with lots of little hills and extremely hot temps! There was no cheering crowd at all until the last part. Excellent organization, but a lousy t-shirt and goody bag. I bought the Dri-Fit online, and lady's sizes do not exist - they are too large!! Well organized.
J. J. from Knoxville, Tennessee (5/23/2009) "This was my first marathon, and I loved it." (about: 2008) First Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This was my first marathon, and the first Rock and Roll for San Antonio. There were a few snags; however, that is to be expected for the first anything. The course was good, the organization (transportation) needs much improvement, and the spectators were GREAT. The Alamo crowd was the best. We could have used more cheering along the 14-22 mile stretch; that is where we runners need it most and that was the most taxing part of the course. I am coming back in '09 and I know that it will be very good again.
T. P. from Boston, MA (4/19/2009) "Great inaugural; looking forward to the next" (about: 2008) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Rock 'n' Roll San Antonio Marathon and 1/2 Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Looking at the big picture, San Antonio/Elite Racing, you all - excuse me, "y'all" - did a great job. For being a first race, I thought the course was well planned, the people of San Antonio were cheerful, and everything that was needed for a successful race was there. OK, the buses were a bit of a problem, but don't let that discourage you. And to complain about a t-shirt, seriously, is that what running a marathon is all about? Having been a resident of Texas for 5 years, I know that they will work out the kinks, and the people of San Antonio will make this another reason to throw a party at their homes, even at 8 a.m. Another runner mentioned that finishing in a parking lot was too bad; I agree with them on that. It would be nice to have some mariachi at the finish, too. I will be back in 2009!
Lee Ann Yarbor from San Diego, CA (4/4/2009) "Great course... poor organization" (about: 2008) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Rock 'n' Roll San Antonio Marathon and 1/2 Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 The CITY: San Antonio is very cool... at least the Riverwalk and the Alamo. I did feel that everything above ground (that is above the Riverwalk) was dead and desolate. If you've ever been to San Antonio, you know what I'm talking about. Life is underground there. It's unique. You definitely don't feel like you're in Texas, and mostly because the weather felt like San Diego in the spring. Perfect running weather. The COURSE: Flat and fast. Despite what others have said, I found parts of the course very beautiful, but you have to understand Texas terrain. I lived in Texas for many years and San Antonio is beautiful compared to other cities in west Texas. The course is great if you're trying to PR or qualify for Boston. SHUTTLE TO THE START: My friend and I got a ride close to the start. Actually, we were dropped off on the freeway about a half a mile from the start because streets were poorly marked. We literally had to jump out of the car on the side of the freeway, run down an embankment, pass a cop, just to get down to the street where the start line was. Crazy! When we got to the start it was somewhat sparse because we learned that the bus situation was CHAOS! Five minutes before the race we were told that about 20,000 runners were still trying to get to the start because there weren't enough buses. We found out later that many people were dropped off 20-30 minutes after the race had started. It was a nightmare! Hopefully Elite Racing gets it right next year. EXPO: The expo is the same as every RNR expo. Same vendors, same lay-out and same CHEAP COTTON T-SHIRT. That really bugs me about Elite Racing! They over-book the race by 5,000 people, charge $100 entry fee, make a ton of money (you know they do) and they still give out cheap, cotton t-shirts. "Elite" Racing is not so "elite" with the cheap, $2 shirts they give out. OVERALL: San Antonio is a great city with lots to do and see. Course was fast and fun. Support on the course was great too. Good ol' Texas southern hospitality. Love the people. Elite Racing needs to get their "you-know-what" together next year with the bus situation, for goodness sakes!!! Get with the program and give out technical T's!!!
F. M. from Corpus Christi, Tx (2/21/2009) "Run was good, organization NOT good!" (about: 2008) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Rock 'n' Roll San Antonio Marathon and 1/2 Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 4 This was the largest race I have ever run. The running portion was good, but the overall organization was very poor. 1. Packet Pickup: I went to the packet pickup on Saturday afternoon, and parked about a mile away. Once in the Alamodome, I had to wait in line just to get in a line for my packet. By this time the vendors had pretty much run out of all the good stuff and good sizes. 2. Shuttles at SBC Center: Getting to the the SBC Center was very hectic. It took about 30 minutes to drive about 5 miles. Lines for the shuttles were unorganized - people were cutting and others were getting angry... it was very stressful. It took about 1 hour from the time I got in line for the shuttle before I reached the start line. 3. Race time: Even though I started 30 minutes after the gun and was in a later corral, I thought the race was pretty good. Adequate water stops; great crowd support. Overall, I was satisfied with the race, except for running uphill at the very end. 4. Post-race: CHAOTIC! It took 45 minutes from the time I crossed the finish line (for the half marathon) until I had my race bag in hand. This is how long it took just for the crowds of runners to get threw. I got my checked bag from the UPS trucks pretty quickly, but I know other people had to wait much longer. The trucks were not organized at all, hence the reason volunteers had to pick up every single bag until they found your number. I'm going to give them another chance to improve their organization, so I've already registered for 2009. But if they don't work out the kinks this year, I won't run it again.

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