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Jul 4, 2024

Rock 'n' Roll Country Music Marathon Runner Comments

Back to Rock 'n' Roll Country Music Marathon Information & Reviews

Course 3.8

Organization 4.2

Spectators 4.4

Number of comments: 481 [displaying comments 371 to 381]

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T. C. from Lockport, NY (4/28/2004) "More water at the end... PLEASE!" (about: 2004) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Country Music Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I had a really good time! The fan support was exceptional and the expo was not as bad as others have made it out to be. I waited in line for only 5 minutes. I would like to make a suggestion for next year....please provide more water/Gatorade after the finish line. When I crossed the finish line I was handed a small bottle of water. As I made my way through the finish area, I couldn't find anything else to drink. Just before exiting, I noticed a water table was set up, but the attendants said they had run out. I had to leave the finish area and stand in line with all the spectators to pay for more water. It's was a killer to wait in line for 10 minutes after running 26.2, especially being as hot and sunny as it was. Other than that, it was a well organized event and I plan on running again.
Obsessed Runner from Springfield, MO (4/28/2004) "An average urban marathon" (about: 2004) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Country Music Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 This was my 61st marathon and my first in the 'music' series. Nashville seems to be a nice place to visit. The expo had problems--find more floor space and stay open until 9 pm. You might also want to consider a Sunday race instead of Saturday. My major complaint about the run is that there was no Gatorade until about mile 5 or 6. Have the race organizers ever run a marathon? We need Gatorade at every aid station. The volunteers were great. The bands were OK, but you'd think Music City would have more of them. The course was OK--hilly as expected, a typical urban marathon. Pretty mediocre goodies at the finish line. You really ought to get some buses to shuttle runners back to their hotels for free (not $15). Runners expect some pretty good service for an $80 marathon fee. Get your sponsors to chip in more and forget all the thousands of $$$ paid out to the Kenyans! Who cares about the Kenyans? One bright spot was the excellent 'free' concert by Carolyn Dawn Johnson and Brad Paisley (I'm sure the $80 included something for them, but they were worth it, and I don't even like country music). Overall, a good marathon, but not great.
S. B. from Marietta, GA (4/28/2004) "Much improved, one to return for" (about: 2004) 6-10 previous marathons \| 2 Rock 'n' Roll Country Music Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Compared to 2002, the course was much improved. I would not call it flat, but much friendlier than before. And improvements where it matters too, after the 20 mile mark! I disagree with others' comments about the river portion. I thought that was a refreshing change, beautiful, and the ramps were a non-issue for me. I have done several biggies (Chicago, New York 2 times, London) and would say CMM '04 was as organized or more so than any of those big races. I did get into the expo just before the line grew, so I felt for those standing in line. That may be an unavoidable product of a Saturday race - everyone arrives on Friday afternoon. I think the race crew handled the rain as well as anyone could expect, so no complaints there either. And for all the rain we got before the gun, to have not one drop during the race was truly a miracle. I will be back!
Mike Knobler from Atlanta (4/27/2004) "Well-run, hospitable race" (about: 2004) First Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 A wonderful experience for this first-time marathoner, who expected the bands but was surprised/inspired by the high school cheerleaders at several points along the course. Water stations were plentiful and well-run. Spectator support was strong for the most part but far from constant along the course, with more at the front than the middle and back. The medal is good-looking, and you can get your time engraved on it post-race or at the concert/awards ceremony. The expo is a mess, due to the high volume of people. Plan to get your number and get out of there. The concert at 7 p.m. on race day was fun and gave me a chance to mix with other runners and compare notes. The weather was humid and, at the finish, mid-70s. The course, though reportedly flatter than in the past, remains hilly. There are more than 16,000 runners, so you'll be in a crowd for awhile, but it thins out by mile seven or eight and really thins out when the half-marathoners turn off. Stay at a hotel near the start line if you can; they're a comfortable walk of 2-miles-plus from the finish and a mile or so from the expo. You can get a discount if you book through the race's travel agent.
A. Miller from Columbia, SC (4/27/2004) "Good first experience" (about: 2004) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Country Music Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I had no trouble with the shuttle, having arrived at 4:45 - however, I read that others arriving later barely made it before the original start time. We were moved from the original start village to a parking garage because of the lightning, then moved back out about 7:00, with assistants forecasting a 7:20 start time. But I had to visit the porta-potty by then, as did several thousand others it seemed. No real problems, not much they could have done different with the weather. I liked the Starbucks coffee and Power Bar! For some reason I was in Corral 13 of 16 with an estimated finish time of 4:15 (I actually did 4:29:54). So many walkers! Can't they stack those guys in the back corrals? Anyway, the corrals were kind of small. It wasn't until mile 5 that I felt that I could run the pace of my choosing without dodging people constantly. Of course, people were arranging themselves in the corrals up to the last minute. The actual start time was closer to 7:30. I enjoyed the race for the most part. It's still hilly, one long one around 17, but nothing too steep. I liked the northward loop of the Belmont area, the park path in the north by the river, the bridges, and the Shelby Park area. No one liked the recycle/garbage area near 18. The bands were diverse and talented and made for a nice diversion during the race. I'm surprised more spectators didn't just park chairs by the bands and take in the music while watching the race. Perhaps as the race gains a reputation more people will do just that (I would if I were spectating). The Belmont church group was excellent. The cheerleaders did their best, but honestly I felt sorry for them - they seemed a bit stranded at times. Security - excellent. I saw race staff on bicycles consistently throughout the course. Medical - good. Saw several tents with plenty of staff on hand. Water stops - good. Some warm Gatorade here and there, but most water was cool, and there were enough people, all of them nice. I never felt hindered during a water stop. I found if I pointed to someone coming in it helped to make the cup transfer smooth. The ice at mile 25 was lovely. Finish Line - Fun! The cheering alley of people helped me deliver my last push. After race - good, but room for improvement. Only one shower - could have used several. Cold water would have been nice, not just ambient temperature. Pictures, medals, and Mylar blankets were smoothly done. They need some more signs - you're too tired to think after the race, you need a map, some arrows, etc. to help find what you need, i.e. medical, bathroom, meeting place, etc. It was all there, but you had to hunt a bit and I was struggling to walk by that point. UPS bag check was excellent. Expo was a bit of a mob scene to pick up the bib, I was glad I didn't have my kids with me. Overall, a positive first marathon experience, one that could have easily been negative given the adverse conditions (heat, late start). Thanks to all the volunteers who made it a safe, fun experience.
b. p. from Glen Allen, VA (4/27/2004) "Great Race - Better Planning" (about: 2004) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Country Music Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 Great race - great city, volunteers, fans, expo, National Anthem, water/Gatorade stops, mile markers, music between Belmont Heights & mile 8, cheerleading/spirit teams, finish area, donut holes, post-race concert & awards presentation. Better planning - Number pick-up until 6:00 pm is a challenge for out-of-town runners, The course is too narrow in the first 4 miles for 15,000 runners - the first turn and traffic circle brought the race to a walk, Needed more visible 'first aid' - did not know where to go for help after leaving the finish chute.
P. F. from Fairfax, VA (4/27/2004) "Fabulous Time" (about: 2004) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Country Music Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I ran the 1/2 marathon as a training run and was expecting to take it nice and slow. I wasn't gunning for a PR over my last 1/2 marathon, but it was easy to do! The course was great, and the hills weren't as bad as everyone talked about (not as bad as the Baltimore Marathon, at least, which I ran in 2001). The race was SO well organized! Water every couple of miles, Gatorade at approximately every other water stop, FANTASTIC volunteers. The weather kept a lot of spectators away for the first few miles, but those that were cheering us on couldn't have been more supportive! I'm thinking of going back in 2005 for the full marathon!
J. R. from Chicago, IL (4/27/2004) "Management has a lot of work to do..." (about: 2004) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Country Music Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 I am not sure what race others ran last Saturday in Nashville and subsequently raved about... it certainly wasn't the CMM that I ran in. To start, the expo was terrible. We waited almost an hour Friday afternoon just to get into the expo area, and then more lines awaited us once inside for 1) our bibs, 2) our chips, 3) our t-shirts (okay), and 4) our goodie bags (pathetic). All separate lines, all long. The expo was mediocre at best, with the lines far too long to make any purchases worth the wait. The race start was unorganized with no means of communication, due partially to the rain (out of their control, obviously), but the whole corral system failed miserably as it wasn't being enforced so I started with walkers in front of me. Took forever for the crowds to thin as walkers, half-marathoners, and marathoners were all grouped together. While the fan support was decent for the time we ran with the half-ers, after we split the support was terrible, with us running at one point along a river bed about 6 feet wide that sloped off on either side, and another time in an industrial park. And for a race that is in Music City, one would never know it based on the 'bands' that played. Not nearly the number advertised, and very few were worth acknowledging. The finish line was average for a race--not like one expects much anyway. Overall, a very disappointing experience, as confirmed by at least 10 others on the plane back to Chicago Sunday evening. Not one I would recommend, nor would I make the effort to return unless significant changes were made. One note: thankfully the hills weren't that bad, even coming from the flatlands of Chicago, so in that respect the race organizers were true to their word... if only they were as successful in the other areas of the race. They should take some advice from the Chicago event coordinators, able to make a race of 40,000 people downright spectacular despite the high numbers.
S. W. from Atlanta, GA (4/27/2004) "Hilly, chaotic and good bands" (about: 2004) 4-5 previous marathons COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 The course was hilly. Trying to get my # @ the expo was chaotic due to location of corrals, bags and closing time of expo (too congested). Mile 11 was hilly. The bands, choirs were great. There wasn't enough Gatorade @ finish. The post-race concert was good, along with the Nashville nightlife.
jill bedford from Knoxville, TN (4/27/2004) "It was the most enriching experience!" (about: 2004) First Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I made a friend and we crossed the finish line together. All those weeks of training paid off!

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