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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 161 to 171]
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S. H. from USA
(11/19/2008)
 "Nice event... but with some issues" (about: 2008)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll San Antonio Marathon and 1/2 Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 The race itself was very nice. Nice course and good spectators. I did expect to hear bands for longer than I was able. I've run much smaller events that have nearly as many bands on the course. The expo was jam-packed with very little room to walk the aisles. The big disappointment was the shuttles. We got in line near our hotel at 6:20 a.m. and watched two shuttles leave. The next shuttles didn't even show up until nearly 7:15. There were still hundreds of people waiting. We didn't arrive at the start line until 7:50. This is inexcusable at an event that charges $100 and has run numerous events in other cities. | |
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Pete Wilcox from Fannett, Texas
(11/19/2008)
 "Half-Marathon; Perfect Weather!!" (about: 2008)
2 previous marathons
| 2 Rock 'n' Roll San Antonio Marathon and 1/2 Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Had a great time. This was the second half marathon for me in my wife in SA. Much better than last year. The bands were great. The spectators were second to none. Great finish, other than that 90-degree incline at the end. Plenty of refreshments along the way. Shuttle parking was okay for us. We got to the AT&T Center at 5:30 a.m. to beat all of the traffic. We were able to get to the starting area by 6:00 a.m. I had a hunch that we needed to get there early due to the number of participants. No complaints on the checked baggage. Walked right up and got our personal belongings. The shuttle that took us back dropped us off about 50 yards from our van. It was obvious to us they put a lot of work into this event. We did hear of some problems with shuttle service and checked baggage. As far as we are concerned, we give it two thumbs up!! | |
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j. r. from Irvine, CA
(11/19/2008)
 "Great crowd support" (about: 2008)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll San Antonio Marathon and 1/2 Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Pros: Expo was well organized, but on the smaller side, considering the field. The Elite Racing staff were helpful and very friendly. Lots of food at the finish line, plus a free beer. They had chips, pretzels, bars, bananas, apples and drinks. Crowd was supportive along the route. Bands were uplifting and enthusiastic. Volunteers were plentiful at all of the water stops. The river walk was wonderful for dining during the week. Perfect weather in spite of the recent days in the 80's. It was 34 at the start and maybe 60 and sunny at 11 a.m. Cons: Shuttle issues. I got lucky and caught a free shuttle from Market Square that went directly to the start, but then I had to walk half a mile. The multi-wave start is terrible. They held each corral for a minute or two. I was in corral 5, so I only started 5 minutes after the gun, but corral 24 started 50 minutes after the gun, so I heard. The promised 70 bands were more like 20-25 max. The course was .25 long miles. How do I know? My Garmin beeped at exactly the same time as everyone else's at mile 1, .25 before the mile mark; and the same happened throughout the course. I finished showing 25.6. Not to complain, but the course was boring. We ran the first 7 or 8 through an industrial part of town and 8 miles of the second half were along the mission trail, with no spectators and not much scenery. There were a couple of nice sections around the river walk area and through some neighborhoods with tree-lined streets in one of the historic districts, too, so not all bad. Overall: I had a great vacation and a fun day. Although I noted a lot of negatives, you have to expect some problems with 25,000 people in an event, especially the first time around. | |
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D. S. from Marble Falls, TX
(11/18/2008)
 "Great crowd support" (about: 2008)
4-5 previous marathons
| 2 Rock 'n' Roll San Antonio Marathon and 1/2 Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my second time race-walking the San Antonio Marathon. There was lots of great crowd support! The bands along the course were great. The bus situation seemed a bit chaotic, and I understand that several didn't get to the start on time. Great weather conditions. I really enjoy this race! | |
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M. C. from West Sacramento, CA
(11/18/2008)
"Flawless as usual, except for shuttles." (about: 2008)
3 previous marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I ran the half. After reading how there would be no shuttles from downtown to the start I spent $30 on the silver package for the course tour and shuttle. I was worried how I was going to get from the hotel to the finish to catch the shuttle to the start. Turned out there were shuttles from downtown to the start. They were running way behind. We got there as the start gun was firing 10 minutes late. Thank goodness for the wave start. Volunteers were fantastic, as were the spectators. The uphill to the finish chute was unexpected and unpleasant. Course bus tour did not take us that far. I could not do the full, so I dropped to the half. I am already registered for next year's full. I know they'll work out the glitches, especially after reading these comments. The expo was well laid out. | |
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A. G. from San Antonio, TX
(11/18/2008)
"Too big for their britches." (about: 2008)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll San Antonio Marathon and 1/2 Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 4 I felt the people at Elite Racing bit off more than they could chew. I missed my corral start time by 1 hour due to being stuck in traffic on I35 and having to wait for a shuttle to the starting line. I checked my watch at the finish and ran 26.96 miles (the extra distance was probably from having to run around all of the slow runners). I waited more in lines (expo, shuttle to and from the start and finish) than on the course. I was very disappointed, especially after how much this race was promoted. I wish the San Antonio Road Runners would consider organizing the Marathon of the Americas next year; I really missed it. | |
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Jim Yanaway from San Antonio
(11/18/2008)
 "A very good inaugural marathon." (about: 2008)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll San Antonio Marathon and 1/2 Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 The Rock N Roll Marathon was a huge improvement over San Antonio's previous marathons. There were plenty of wonderful volunteers cheering for us even on the most desolate parts of the course. I ran the full marathon and would offer two possible areas for improvement. I would prefer that they avoid the unpopulated areas in the second half of the marathon. I waited more than 1.5 hours in line to board a shuttle bus after the finish. I am sure they are aware of that problem and it will be corrected next year. Overall, they did a good job and I will be back next year. | |
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M. W. from Kansas
(11/18/2008)
 "Major Organizational Issues" (about: 2008)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll San Antonio Marathon and 1/2 Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 3 San Antonio deserves a great marathon. The city is beautiful. The citizens - from the crowds of spectators to the hotel janitor - were very encouraging. This inaugural race was not it. The biggest organizational issue was shuttle buses and access to the start line village. We walked out for one of the "continually running" buses about 1:15 before the start. Buses took almost 55 minutes to appear! Volunteers told us the start would be delayed because so many runners had been stuck in the bus lines. But the race started while tons of runners were still walking off the buses, through the traffic jam, through gear check and port-a-potties. By the time I made it to the corrals, I started 12,000 people behind, and with pace groups 4:00/mile behind where I should have been. So I couldn't "race" the first ten miles and had to make this a "fun run." While the majority of people made it into the proper corrals, I noticed a good number of low bib numbers stuck back there with me, trying to dodge the hordes of slower runners. Other aspects that need improving: - Entrance to the expo. Around midday Saturday, there were long lines outside the Alamodome doors due to security checks. I understand the precaution, but open more doors and make a better first impression... instead of "Welcome!" it was "Open your bags!" - Aisles within the vendor area of the expo were narrow and crowded, a claustrophobic warren. - The map of shuttle bus stops contradicted the written instructions on where to go. - More information up front/in the mail would be good, such as a schedule of speakers at the expo, maps of the start and finish area, and more guidance on transportation. - The last .2 is a sharp uphill, then a 90-degree turn. Nothing against hills, but the layout really precludes a strong finish. Positives: - The course has some nice stretches through downtown, past the Alamo, and then up a street lined with huge trees and mansions by the river around the 15K mark. The second half is more desolate. - Great crowd support downtown. - The pasta dinner was lovely: set in a courtyard with musicians at sunset, several different buffet lines and seating areas... no wait and tasty food. - Some very good bands on the course. Thanks to the volunteers and residents who supported us, but Elite Racing needs to get its act together on this one. | |
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H. H. from Dallas Metroplex
(11/18/2008)
"Logistics Need Help!!!" (about: 2008)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll San Antonio Marathon and 1/2 Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 3 I do not think that the City of San Antonio was prepared for the volume of runners that came out for this event. The shuttle buses were a nightmare and caused a lot of runners to miss their start corral. The finish line area was so congested and uncomfortably crowded. The pasta party was very nice. Expo was too. Course had a lot of turns and a nasty uphill to the finish. Work out the kinks, and it could be a much smoother race day. ;-) | |
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joe THOMAS from San Antonio, Texas
(11/18/2008)
"Good Job, San Antonio (First-Timers)" (about: 2008)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll San Antonio Marathon and 1/2 Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 For San Antonio's first Rock and Roll, it was great! For those of us who have run the regular San Antonio Marathon, this was a huge step up! |
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