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The San Francisco Marathon Runner Comments
Back to The San Francisco Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.3 
Organization 3.6 
Spectators 2.6
Number of comments: 503 [displaying comments 151 to 161]
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L. M. from Burbank,CA
(6/20/2009)
"Awesome" (about: 2008)
3 previous marathons
| 1 The San Francisco Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I love running this marathon. It was definitely what I expected. I trained for hills and, yes, there were some hills; going up was easier for me than going down on those hills. I love running on the Golden Gate Bridge. What a thrill! The weather was great, the organization was great, and the spectators were also great. However, there were some spots with very few spectators; but I understand, after all, that this was my race, not theirs. It was very funny that at one of the water stops there was also a beer stop, and a guy with red horns. I think there was a girl dressed like a devil too (around mile 12 or 13). I do not quite recall. Anyway, I LOVE this marathon, and yes, I will do it again and again and again. | |
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A. L. from New York
(3/20/2009)
"Great experience" (about: 2008)
1 previous marathon
| 1 The San Francisco Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This was my first marathon, so nothing really to compare to. However, it still goes down as one of the most memorable experiences of my life. I flew out for this race from NYC. Agree with some of the others in terms of crowd support... and lack thereof. There are some desolate areas of the course, particularly on the back half... probably miles 17-21 or so. That being said, overall I think it's a great course in a great city. Also, if this is your first race, you'll be so pumped up that you probably won't pay that much attention to the crowds anyway. Perfect running weather: at the start time, it was probably around 50, and at the finish, probably 58. Another advantage of running in SF. We got lucky and didn't get much fog over the Golden Gate (I've heard that this can be a drag). In terms of hills, they weren't as bad as I was expecting. Don't get caught up looking at the topography maps too much or you'll psych yourself out. The steep hills are in the front half of the course when your energy level is high. Take them at a moderate pace and you'll be fine. Overall, I'd definitely recommend this race, even for first-timers. | |
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J. C. from Santa Rosa, CA
(11/12/2008)
"Good Race - Not Great Spectators" (about: 2008)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 The San Francisco Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 1 I ran this race in 2008 (my 7th marathon). The course itself was fine. Oddly enough, I didn't feel like it was that hilly, but my running mate did. The course does put you through some deserted neighborhoods. Negatives: 1. Race shirts run VERY small. 2. I was disappointed by how few spectators there were (some spots had zero). 3. Expo was crowded and a bit boring. 4. The post-race food was awful. They hardly had any food. 5. They offered the text message alerts where loved ones could get text messages of your status. Well, it didn't work. And they did not refund that money. Positives: 1. Course is fairly decent (Golden Gate Bridge, the park, etc.). 2. Easy to fly to for those out of town. 3. Lots of runners. 4. Wave start, so runners were not bunched up. 5. Enough GU handed out (although they didn't use GU brand, and the brand they did use was huge and bulky, so I couldn't stash it for later use). I would run this one again, but it didn't wow me like some of the other races. Want great spectators? Run Portland. | |
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S. M. from Philadelphia, PA
(10/29/2008)
"Nice course, well run, but could use more fans" (about: 2008)
2 previous marathons
| 1 The San Francisco Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 This was my second marathon after having completed the 2007 Marine Corps Marathon, but I was still a little unsure of what to expect considering San Fran is known for its hilly course. The Good: 1.) Beautiful course: How can you beat running across the Golden Gate Bridge?! Don't forget to look back at the stream of runners filling up the bridge as you turn around to run back over the bridge again. Lots of runners who brought cameras were taking a picture of this amazing scene. The first few miles are the most scenic when you run on the streets along the coast line. 2.) Well-organized. Between the expo and race day there was no confusion and roads were blocked off for the runners. 3.) Beautiful weather. Most people don't know this who aren't from the west coast, but summertime is San Fran's winter, so it's actually a bit chilly out there when they have this race, but it's great race day weather. Also, we got lucky and it wasn't too foggy the weekend of the race - lots of sun so it was great for taking pictures and touring too if you were from out of town. 4.) Plenty of water stops and food/snacks - even at the top of the hills when you wanted them the most. They had bananas toward the end of the course, which was perfect timing for nutrition. 5.) Nice shirt and medal. The Bad: 1.) After having done Marine Corps, which is known for its size and fan support, I was definitely disappointed by the lack of crowds and support on the course. I was forewarned about this and didn't think it would matter that much, but in fact, I hit the wall at mile 18 and really wished more people were around to give support. 2.) Expo didn't have as many vendors as I thought it would, considering it's a big marathon. 3.) Lots of half-marathoners. I think there were only 3,000 marathoners and the rest were halfers. The half-marathoners had the choice of running the first half or second half of the full marathon course. I hated seeing the second half-marathoners pass me. It made me feel like I was running so slowly and had so much more to go. Between this and the lack of fans, I was struggling much more quickly. 4.) The hills - I put this under bad only because people typically deem hills in a marathon as a negative. I didn't think they were bad at all and I have only run one other marathon. Don't expect a PR, although I wouldn't say it's impossible, especially if you train on hills, which I did. I liked the hills as a little challenge. 5.) Early start at 5:45 a.m. Surprisingly, the early start for this marathon is due to the fact that they can't have the lanes of the Golden Gate Bridge shut down for that long of time - doesn't have to do with the weather. San Fran is typically cool in the summertime. Fog in the morning is a given in San Fran which makes all the sights to see a little difficult and of course colder than you'd like it to be but you warm up quickly. Overall, great marathon - beautiful city and very well run. I wouldn't do this as a first marathon but it definitely serves as a challenge and it's nice that such a great marathon is done during the summertime when marathons are few and far between in the summer months. You've gotta run at least one East Coast and one West Coast marathon in your lifetime! | |
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N. H. from Bay Area
(9/17/2008)
"I love SF and this marathon" (about: 2008)
1 previous marathon
| 1 The San Francisco Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 Well I have a biased opinion because I was born and raised in the Bay area and have an unconditional love for San Francisco, but I loved this marathon. This was my first marathon ever and I was very worried about the hills or even finishing for that matter, but everything went great. The hills were tough at some points, but overall not that bad - and I trained on flat roads only. The variation of the course was great, and I really want to know what other marathon courses are comparable. I plan to run the marathon again next year as well. Spectators were scarce, but it didn't really bother me, because I was too excited to care. Overall one of the most memorable moments of my life. | |
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M. P. from Los Angeles, CA
(8/23/2008)
"Scenic, cool, organized and well worth it" (about: 2008)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 The San Francisco Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Where else can you run a marathon in mid 50's weather in the summer outside of Alaska? The course was very scenic... running along the Embarcadero, Presidio, Golden Gate Bridge, Golden State Park and the Haight was certainly a treat. The Golden Gate was worth the price of admission. The early start is great... especially in waves. For my sub-five pace group, 6:15 was fine. Not many spectators, but not bad as it got later... and despite the hills, I ran my 2nd fastest time. A few drawbacks were the merging of the 2nd half marathoners in the park, the fact that our pace group leader outpaced the group, and the fact that the post-race meal was a little lean. Also, only one bottle of water per runner... a little skimpy after 26.2. All in all, a great summer race, and certainly a great city to visit. | |
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Jay Jacob Wind from Arlington VA
(8/19/2008)
"Great organization, spectacular course (mostly)" (about: 2008)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 The San Francisco Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 I was truly impressed by the great organization of this race. I have run 129 marathons (SFM was my 119th finish), and I have to give SFM an A+ for organization. Highly informative website; big signs all over the Embarcadero venue; a tented pre-race expo with an announcer going booth-to-booth; clean, simple packet pickup; efficient transit and announcements on race day; well-posted starting corrals; on-time start - the bell rang as we started at 5:30 a.m.; scenic course; well-informed and capable course marshals; well-marked course; accurate timing; enough portable toilets; cool music along the course; many landmarks to see and enjoy (I loved Golden Gate Park and the Haight District!); an efficient finish that you could see and hear from a mile away; generous post-race food; and prompt, accurate results and awards. Everything went right! I was delighted by the personal hospitality of the race organizers. They clearly genuinely enjoyed what they were doing. I'm still amazed that the course could cross Market Street and Mission Street without tying up traffic. To accomplish that was amazing. Running through the warehouse district gave me a feel for what San Francisco is like "backstage." It was also flat and fast, and I caught a lot of other runners during that stretch. More spectators would have been nice, but at 5:30 a.m., you have to be grateful for anyone out there. By the end of the race, we finished amid a nice big crowd. | |
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D. B. from Calgary, Alberta
(8/17/2008)
"enjoyed the race" (about: 2008)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 The San Francisco Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 Overall I enjoyed the race. I shaved 5 minutes off my PR and had a 5-minute negative split. I like the early starts, and it was nice and cool. The wave start was good, and we didn't have to be put in corrals. Water stops were fine, but we could have used more gel stops. Not a friendly race, it seemed. There were way too many people running with iPods. The bridge was pretty congested, so it was hard to run fast on the downhill portions. I was expecting it to be more scenic and have more crowd involvement. There were lots of challenging hills, which I liked. I probably won't run it again. | |
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W. B. from Minneapolis, MN
(8/15/2008)
"Great course but little crowd support" (about: 2008)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 The San Francisco Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 1 Overall I really enjoyed the experience. My comparison is that I have run 3 Twin Cities Marathons, which is known as one of the best organized marathons out there. The expo was easy. The start time was awesome, given that I stayed on Minneapolis time, but I suppose it was early for the local runners! Plus, the wave effect at the start was great. In the Twin Cities, there is a small initial wave and then a big mob, but in San Fran they really spread you out. The weather was fantastic. Low 50's and overcast (but very humid). It was actually a bit chilly on the bridge. In my mind, the hills were not that bad; 3 tough ones in the first 12 miles or so, but nothing too big after that. Crowd support is virtually nonexistent, given the early start time and the fact that many miles of the course are in areas where people don't live (like the park). Also, the bands/entertainment were fairly weak. But, the course is gorgeous, so it makes up for it. I thought the runners were not friendly, but because most were wearing iPods. In the Twin Cities Marathon, they DQ you if you were iPods, so at least the runners chat more. Overall, the weather and course made for a fun marathon. I PR'd by 31 minutes! | |
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K. M. from Toronto Canada
(8/14/2008)
"A wonderful experience" (about: 2008)
2 previous marathons
| 1 The San Francisco Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 The "running vacation" is becoming more and more popular, and it's easy to see why: it makes a great four-day break, and you can't do better than San Francisco for that. The weather was perfect (cloudy, limited breeze, 56 degrees at start) for a marathon. The race itself was well organized and the course was very scenic until the last 5 miles or so, which go through a rather desolate, urban wasteland in parts (though there is evidence of improvement efforts). I really liked the wave starts, although my wave started late and in combination with another wave. The bridge and Presidio were a great experience, and Golden Gate Park made my run feel like a regular, Sunday, long run with no pressure. The finish line procedure for food and medal was seamless, and the food was plentiful. I stayed at the Hyatt, which was the marathon headquarters hotel, and that was a really good choice by both me and the marathon - very convenient and good group rate for the event. My only complaint was on the run through Seacliff the police held up their hands and yelled, "Runners stop!!" so they could let cars through. I didn't know that sort of thing was normal in marathons. I would recommend the San Francisco Marathon to anyone, but train for those hills! |
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