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Jul 5, 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 101 to 111]

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M. J. from Houston, TExas (1/31/2009) "Organizational FIASCO - skip this one" (about: 2008) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Rock 'n' Roll San Antonio Marathon and 1/2 Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 4 Have to stand in mile-long line for a shuttle for about two hours put me at the starting line 30 minutes after the gun, with many more behind me. Then thee was an hour-long wait to get on a shuttle at the finish in order to return to the parking area - HORRIBLE. Skip this one until/unless they work out the major kinks.
D. R. from Rochester, NY (1/16/2009) "Poorly organized" (about: 2008) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Rock 'n' Roll San Antonio Marathon and 1/2 Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 5 They used shuttle buses to take you from the parking lot to the start, then from the finish (which was different from the start) back to the parking lot. That meant that I was waiting in line for a shuttle bus for an hour each time. I was still on a bus when the race started, and there were several thousand people still in line waiting to get on buses behind me. There was no toilet paper in the portable toilets at the start or the finish (I finally found some in a toilet with a broken lock). You also had to leave the concession area at the finish in order to use the toilets at all, and you weren't allowed back into the concession area after you left. Also, they stick you with a $10 parking charge when you go to pick up your number. I know there were a lot of people, but that was the worst organization for a race I've ever seen by a wide margin. On the other hand, once the race started, the weather was lovely and the crowd was fantastic.
M. R. from Nashville, TN (1/12/2009) "Fun event, but post-race area was WAY TOO CROWDED" (about: 2008) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Rock 'n' Roll San Antonio Marathon and 1/2 Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 I had a lot of fun in SA. We stayed on the Riverwalk and really enjoyed it. This was my 5th Elite race, so I expected issues with the buses. I liked the course and the fan support was great. The one huge negative was the finish line area. There were way too many people in the food area, and it took over an hour to get my bag from the UPS truck because that area was so jammed. I should know better to check a bag (which I will never do again), but I wanted my phone after the race. I would do it again, but will not check a bag and will get a room closer to the finish line. The mile-long walk back after the race to my room was no fun.
B. M. from Austin, TX (12/29/2008) "Good, but expensive" (about: 2008) 6-10 previous marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I did the half marathon, and would recommend it. This is the first Rock 'n Roll race I've done, and it is obvious that they have all of the details of organizing 30,000+ runners down pat. The corral system at the start worked well, segregating runners by pace. And not by honor system, which no one ever follows, but by a tag on your race bib. It worked out great - the first 5 miles were much better than the usual chaotic stampede, although it took me a ridiculous 45 minutes to reach the start line. I would suggest that the race directors reduce the starting time difference between each corral. I was a bit nervous about the size of this race - the biggest race I had done before this was 16,000. But no worries; it was very well organized. I never felt stressed by the numbers. The provided transportation to and from the AT&T Center parking lot was great - the only problem was the 45-minute line for the return buses. I was glad I had just done the half - standing in that line would have been brutal after a full. The drop bag drop off and pick up needs some adjustment for next year. There wasn't enough space between the trucks to handle the crowds at the drop off, and there were no volunteers at the pickup. This can be easily fixed. The one thing that I was disappointed in was that this was obviously a for-profit business venture. Yes, they certainly know how to put on a great race, complete with bands and cheering groups, which made for a fun run. But we were nickeled and dimed the entire weekend. Parking for the expo, $10. Want a finisher's shirt? $50. Return bus to downtown hotels, $15. VIP parking, $60. Entry fee for the half $70-90. The goody bag was full of coupons and advertisements and a cotton, short-sleeve T-shirt, and there were no give-away items at the expo. It had a different feel from the other races I've done, which were all runner-centric rather than profit-centric. I'm sure they make a lot of money. All that said, I'll be back next year. Kudos for pulling off a great inaugural race! Nice medal, even for the half. The only difference between the half and the full medal was the verbiage and the color.
J. M. from St. Paul, MN (12/23/2008) "Skip the inaugral RNR races" (about: 2008) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Rock 'n' Roll San Antonio Marathon and 1/2 Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 San Antonio was a great city to visit! Great food, nice people, and fun places to visit. However, being an inaugural race, there were many more kinks that needed to be worked out. The good and the bad: This was overall the worst organized race I've run. 1. The packet pick up was well organized and moved quickly, but the expo was crowded, merchandise anemic and getting to/from Alamodome was very difficult. 2. The start and finish line had no parking (unless you paid dearly for the expensive package), leaving us to walk almost a mile to parking lots. I got dropped off on the freeway so I could walk to the start - the drop-off area was backed up for over a mile. 3. The spectators were wonderful as was the route. 4. Some places got crowded - like the half's finish line, where I had to slow down so I didn't run into people! 5. The hill at the end sucked as well. 6. Several of us with GPS watches (who didn't know each other) showed the half was actually 13.3 miles - what's up with that? 7. Lots of run/walkers who would just stop in the middle of the road with no warning, which was especially frustrating on the narrow parts of the course. 8. Water stops were NOT well marked, causing people suddenly to migrate to one side, tripping over other people. They need better signage with regards to water stops.
rich hincha from orange, virginia (12/22/2008) "Excellent start!" (about: 2008) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Rock 'n' Roll San Antonio Marathon and 1/2 Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 After running three Rock 'n' Roll marathons in Phoenix and two in San Diego, and enjoying them all thoroughly, I held high expectations for this inaugural RnR in San Antonio. I wasn't disappointed. The course was, indeed, flat and fast. Although not as scenic as some, it does route you past the Alamo, and it rarely felt cramped. As with all RnR marathons, crowd support was terrific; you were rarely alone at any point on the course. The bands were enthusiastic. The expo was very large with some great guest speakers, and the shirts and medals were second to none. Oh yes, the goody bag was nice, too, especially the cotton knit gloves. The only glitch in the system was the too-long time in loading buses at the start and finish. More pick-up points would help there.
R. W. from Denison, Texas (12/16/2008) "Top-notch production; difficult town to navigate" (about: 2008) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Rock 'n' Roll San Antonio Marathon and 1/2 Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I love San Antonio, but traffic into and out of the start and finish lines was terrible. Even the buses had great difficulty transporting runners from the parking areas to the start. The expo was nice, but no "cheap stuff". For the price, a finisher's t-shirt should be included, but it was not offered for additional money. Also, having the headliner concert so late in the evening was a bad idea. Those of us traveling into the city to run (most of the runners) could not exactly stay around that late, not to mention the fact that we didn't physically feel like staying in a concrete parking lot all day to wait for the headliner. I think over half of the advertised "70 bands" stayed home, too.
B. A. from College Station, TX (12/9/2008) "Really needs help with organization" (about: 2008) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Rock 'n' Roll San Antonio Marathon and 1/2 Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 5 This was my first event in SA and I may not go back. The course was good, the spectators were great, there was plenty of water, and the bands were good. Expo was crowded - but good! Now for the bad news: the organization at the start and finish were AWFUL. I waited in line for 2 hours for a shuttle, and missed the start of the race. After the race was over, I waited another HOUR for a shuttle back to my car. This line went down and back up flights of stairs, which is awful on runners knees (especially my bad knees)! Anyone who runs this race in the future SHOULD NOT TAKE THE SHUTTLES!
J. A. from Chicago (12/4/2008) "Good first try, needs some improvements" (about: 2008) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Rock 'n' Roll San Antonio Marathon and 1/2 Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 My fourth marathon, and first Rock 'n' Roll. The good: - Corral start was helpful. Although I had to wait almost an hour to get to the start, I didn't have to "weave" early on like in Indianapolis. - Spectators were so nice, fun, and supportive. Loved them! - Had a friend drop me off as close to the start as possible (which really wasn't that close 3/4 miles). Do this if you can because the shuttles didn't work out well for people. - San Antonio was cool to visit and the Mexican food was AMAZING! Ate it for every meal. Bad: - No toilet paper in the porta-johns by 7:25 a.m. - seriously! At least I had my "free gloves" that I could use and toss. Lesson learned; bring your own TP. - T shirt, while colorful, it was way cheap. For the price of registration, a tech shirt should be given. - Expo was too crowded to navigate. Wanted to buy some gel packs and a new race belt, but couldn't stand the crowds, so we left. - For a Rock 'n' Roll Marathon, there were not many more bands than most other races, and bands sometimes played slow or "downer"-like songs. This was odd to me. they could have been more motivating. There was one young girl performing... I don't remember her name, but she was a "tween." She was cute, upbeat, and made me smile as I ran by. - Lots of turns messed with my knees. - Some promised amenities I could not find (or they weren't there), like bagels at the start, subway.... Ugly: - None really, but that is mostly because we stayed with a friend who lives in the area, who could drop off and pick us up at the expo and start/finish, and we didn't have to pay through the nose for hotel and parking.
G. G. from San Antonio (12/2/2008) "Thanks to Elite for showing this race's potential" (about: 2008) 11-50 previous marathons COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Great first full marathon! + Loved the bands. It really helped the time pass, because my legs cramped early in the race and had to run/walk quite a bit. A couple of friends who played in different bands also enjoyed themselves. + More fans compared to previous years. Thanks to Elite and city officials for advertising this race more to generate the interest! + Plentiful water, Cytomax, gel, and medical support. + Corral start that actually works. I was in corral 13 and didn't have to navigate around many walkers. - No technical finisher's shirt. Just do away with the initial shirt with your goody bag and provide finisher's shirts to all. - Expo was too cramped. What do you expect with 30K registered coming to expo with a guest and/or family? ~ 100K. - The course still needs to be tweaked. Too many turns seemed to be there to make up some distance for the course, e.g. mile 16.5. And the road needs to be improved - or choose another (e.g. miles 11 and 23). - Anyone could predict the shuttle fiasco based on feedback from Elite's other races, so I was dropped off and picked up.

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